Pre-settlement

Eight Native American nations have lived on Chequamegon Bay. Later settlers included European explorers, missionaries and fur traders, and more recently, Yankees from the eastern United States who platted and developed the lands, railroaders, shippers, loggers, entrepreneurs, and other settlers. Four flags have flown over the area around Ashland from colonial to contemporary times: Spanish, French, English and American.

The area was part of the United States' Northwest Territory. This region was divided into four successive territories for administration before becoming part of the state of Wisconsin: Indiana Territory, Michigan Territory, Illinois Territory, and Wisconsin Territory.

About the time Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World in the late 15th century, the Ojibwe people came to the land they called Sha-ga-waun-il-ong. This term has been translated numerous ways: "lowlands", the "needle", "the region of shallow water", and where "there are large extended breakers". Each is descriptive and suitably accurate. The Ojibwe stayed on Chequamegon Point for nearly a century before leaving. They settled first on Madeline Island and then moved to the Sault Ste. Marie region.

French fur traders Pierre d'Esprit, le Sieur Radisson and Medard Chouart, le Sieur des Groseillers were the first Europeans of record to visit Chequamegon Bay. They arrived in 1659 and built what has been called the first European dwelling place in what is now Wisconsin. A historical marker noting this is located at Maslowski Beach on US 2 on the west end of Ashland. The monument was erected in 1929 by the Old Settlers Club.

The Ojibwe heartily welcomed the Frenchmen. Five years later, Father Claude-Jean Allouez arrived. A Jesuit missionary, he brought the first word of Christianity to Wisconsin's shores. Allouez built a chapel not far from the stockade erected by Radisson and Groseillier; he worked and lived at the Bay until 1669.

Settlement

The massive Soo Line ore dock in 2007, before its demolition.

In 1854, Ohioans Asaph Whittlesey and George Kilborn set out from La Pointe to explore the head of Chequamegon Bay. Whittlesey built a 10 ft (3.0 m) × 14 ft (4.3 m) cabin in Ashland. His wife, Lucy, and daughter, Eugenia, joined him in August and prepared to winter in their new home. Signs of settlement soon began to take place. The first community dance was held at their house. The Reverend L.H. Wheeler preached the first sermon on the first Independence Day that was observed there. This village was the location of the first post office and polling place for county offices. Sunday school was also conducted on the premises.

The Milwaukee, Lakeshore and Western Railroad platted the city in 1885, as railroad construction moved westward. Local landowner Martin Beaser named the settlement Ashland after Kentucky statesman Henry Clay’s residence. Previous names for the area included Bay City, Saint Mark (for Saint Mark's Basilica), and Whittlesey, the latter in honor of initial postmaster Adolph Whittlesey.^[6]

In the nineteenth century, immigrants to the area included many individuals and families from Germany and northern Europe, as shown by the numerous Lutheran churches in town. Some were initially attracted to agriculture or jobs in the mining industry.

Tar and feather attacks during World War I

During the last year of World War I, from March–October 1918, six recorded incidents of vigilantism took place in the Ashland area, committed against men of German descent, who were suspected of pro-German sympathies.

In Ashland mobs of masked men abducted individuals at night from their homes, driving each to secluded areas where the men were tarred and feathered. A group identifying as the Knights of Liberty claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying in a letter to a local paper, "We have no purpose to do injustice to any man, but we do feel that any treasonable and seditious acts, or utterances, demand prompt punishment. These cases must not be allowed to run indefinitely, without anything being done. We want action and we want it now."^[7]

Victims included:

• Professor E. A. Schimler, abducted, tarred and feathered on March 31, 1918. Born in Germany, Schimler taught French at local Northland College. He was unable to identify any of his assailants.^[8]
• Bartender Adolph Anton, taken from his home on April 9, and stripped, tarred and feathered for his suspected "pro-Germanism".^[9] Anton claimed to recognize two of the men, Ephraim Gay and George Buchanan, who were arrested, pleaded not guilty, and released on their own recognizance.^[10] A municipal judge dismissed the cases at the preliminary hearing in July.^[11] Anton left Ashland, moving to Gary, Indiana.^[12][13]
• William Landraint, 62, was seized in front of a downtown hotel by a mob of fifty men who put a bag over his head, handcuffed him, and drove him to the country, where he was tarred and feathered. Of German birth, Landraint was a deputy tax assessor who had been forced out of his job because of prejudice and suspected disloyalty.^[14][15] Despite dozens of witnesses to the kidnapping by unmasked men, none claimed to know any of the participants.^[16] Landraint later asked for police protection after receiving a threatening letter. He soon left town for St. Paul, Minnesota.^[17]
• In early June 1918 Emil Kunze went to Ashland police headquarters to report hearing men outside his home conspiring to tar and feather him for his alleged pro-Germanism. He asked for permission to sleep in the jail. He later quit his truck driving job and left town.^[18]
• In early July 1918 farmer Martin Johnson of nearby Sweden, Wisconsin was visited at his home by men asking assistance in locating a nearby fishing stream. Once away from the house, they drove Johnson to a secluded area, and stripped, tarred and feathered him.^[19]
• On October 25, 1918, John Oestrycher, a farmer living eight miles outside Ashland, was tarred and feathered for not buying Liberty Bonds and for being "pro-German".^[20]

Governor Emanuel Philipp expressed his indignation over these incidents, as well as reports of local ethnic Germans receiving threatening letters. He directed state Attorney General Spencer Haven to launch an inquiry. His investigator found the local citizenry uncooperative, including John C. Chapple, editor of the Ashland Daily Press and campaign manager for Roy P. Wilcox, a Republican candidate for governor proclaiming his own patriotism.^[21] The inquiry found the community generally satisfied with the treatment of the first victims.^[22] Haven expressed frustration at the local court, which refused to adjourn to allow the securing of evidence, and at the district attorney, who dismissed the first two cases for lack of said evidence. Haven threatened to send a company of the state guard to maintain law and order in the area.^[23] Ultimately no one was convicted for any of the attacks. Two months after the world war ended, newspapers reported that the local Knights of Liberty had disbanded. The Milwaukee Journal reported that more than 800 men in Ashland County belonged to the order.^[24][25]

Dates of note

• 1856 — First plat of Ashland registered
• 1870 — First Ashland brownstone quarried and shipped
• 1872 — First sawmill built by W.R. Sutherland
• 1872 — The Ashland Weekly Press is founded by Sam Fifield. It became a daily paper more than a decade later. The first issue of the Ashland Daily Press was March 5, 1888.
• 1874 — First brewery built, Ashland Brewing Company
• 1877 — Wisconsin Central Railroad connected Ashland to Chicago
• 1877 — Chequamegon Hotel opened, one block from current hotel
• 1887 — State legislature incorporated the City of Ashland
• 1889 — Wisconsin Central Depot constructed
• 1892 — Northern Wisconsin Academy opened (now Northland College)
• 1892 — Ashland Post Office built
• 1904 — Ashland High School opened
• 1918 – During the last year of the war, at least six men were individually attacked by vigilante groups acting against ethnic Germans
• 1929 — First airport opened
• 1940 — WATW radio went on the air
• 1970 — Establishment of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore
• 1972 — Memorial Medical Center opened
• 1979 — The Union Depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• 1984 — The West Second Street Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Second Street was later renamed Main Street.
• 1998 — Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center is built
• 2009 — Ore dock slated for demolition. Attempts by community members to preserve the historic structure were not successful.
• 2014 — The Chapple and MacArthur Avenues Residential Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• 2016 — New fire hall dedicated, replacing the historic, century-old Ellis Fire Station.
• 2016 — From July 11 until August, Ashland suffered one of the worst storm seasons in its history. Highways going to Ironwood and Marengo were severely damaged, as were portions of infrastructure at Saxon Harbor. Residents reported flooding of many basements by lake and rain waters. Three deaths were reported.

Ore dock

The harbor of Ashland was dominated by the massive Wisconsin Central Railway (later Soo Line) ore dock, built in 1916 to load iron ore mined in the area into freighters bound for industrial ports in the Midwest, such as Ashtabula, Ohio, where steel was produced.^[26] The last of what had once been many such docks, the concrete structure is 80 feet (24 m) high and 75 feet (23 m) wide. In 1925 the dock was extended to 1,800 feet (550 m); it was last used to ship ore in 1965.^[27]

In 2007 the Wisconsin Trust for Historic Preservation named it one of the "10 most endangered historic buildings in Wisconsin", a list intended to stir preservation efforts.^[27] The main concrete structure and trestle had slowly deteriorated since the early 1970s because of lack of maintenance and the effects of the environment.^[28] A structural inspection completed in 2006 and 2007 concluded that the ore dock had become structurally unsafe and was an imminent safety hazard. On May 14, 2009, the Ashland Planning Commission granted Canadian National Railway approval for demolition of the dock. All material on the ore dock was removed, down to the concrete base.^[29] This was completed in 2013.

The base of the ore dock remains. The city took ownership of it from Canadian National Railway in May 2014. It is working with a consultant group to design a redevelopment plan for the base of the dock.^[30][31]

Climate

Ashland has a humid continental climate (Koppen: Dfb) with four distinct seasons and notably cold winters. Due to the city's proximity to Lake Superior, it sometimes has lake effect snow storms, with high amounts of snow recorded.

2020 census

As of the census of 2020,^[37] the population was 7,908. The population density was 591.7 inhabitants per square mile (228.5/km²). There were 3,860 housing units at an average density of 288.8 per square mile (111.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 80.5% White, 10.0% Native American, 1.0% Black or African American, 0.8% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 7.2% from two or more races. Ethnically, the population was 2.8% Hispanic or Latino of any race.

2010 census

As of the census^[2] of 2010, there were 8,216 people, 3,516 households, and 1,942 families residing in the city. The population density was 612.2 inhabitants per square mile (236.4/km²). There were 3,864 housing units at an average density of 287.9 per square mile (111.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.0% White, 0.5% African American, 7.5% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 4.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population.

There were 3,516 households, of which 26.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.7% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 44.8% were non-families. 36.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.81.

The median age in the city was 38.6 years. 21% of residents were under the age of 18; 13% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,620 people, 3,513 households, and 2,027 families residing in the city. The population density was 643.3 people per square mile (248.4/km²). There were 3,777 housing units at an average density of 108.8 persons/km² (281.9 persons/sq mi). The racial makeup of the city was 90.17% White, 0.32% African American, 6.30% Native American, 0.49% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 2.23% from two or more races. 1.37% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,513 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.5% were married couples living together, 11.7% have a woman whose husband does not live with her, and 42.3% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the city, the population was spread out, with 22.2% under the age of 18, 15.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 20.1% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,853, and the median income for a family was $40,549. Males had a median income of $30,122 versus $20,926 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,330. About 7.5% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under the age of 18 and 10.0% ages 65 or older.:)

Public schools

• Lake Superior Primary/Intermediate/Charter School
• Marengo Valley Elementary School
• Ashland Middle School
• Ashland High School

Private schools

• Ashland Seventh-day Adventist School
• Celebration Christian Academy
• Our Lady of the Lake School
• Zion Lutheran Christian School

Colleges

• Northland College
• Northwood Technical College

News media

• Ashland Daily Press, local daily print publication
• Bottom Line News and Views
• Lake Superior Sounder (closed in January 2008)

Radio

• WATW 1400 AM – Conservative talk radio
• WUWS 90.9 FM — Ideas network of Wisconsin Public Radio
• K210CG FM 91.9, Simulcasting Duluth's Contemporary Christian KDNW, owned by the University of Northwestern – St Paul
• WBSZ 93.3 FM – Country music
• WWMD-LP 95.3FM – Christian talk radio (Catholic)
• WJJH 96.7 FM – Rock music
• WIMI 99.7 FM – Adult Contemporary music (Broadcast from Ironwood, MI)
• W284AN 104.7 FM – News and Classical Musical network of Wisconsin Public Radio
• WEGZ 105.9 FM – Christian talk radio (broadcast from Washburn, WI)
• WNXR 107.3 FM – Oldies (broadcast from Iron River, WI)

Television

Stations serving Ashland come from the Duluth market:

• 3 KDLH (CBS)
• 6 KBJR (NBC)
• 8 WDSE (PBS)
• 10 WDIO (ABC)
• 21 KQDS (Fox)

Railroads

The city is one of the northern termini in Wisconsin for the Canadian National Railway (CN), parent company of the former Wisconsin Central Ltd. It took over the former Soo Line tracks in 1987.^[41] However, after flooding in 2016 caused substantial damage to bridges south of town, CN discontinued service to Ashland (trains now reach only as far north as Park Falls).^[42]

While Ashland has not had passenger train service since 1971, both Union Depot and the Soo Line Depot survive and are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Airports

Airports certified for commercial carrier operations near Ashland:

• Gogebic-Iron County Airport (about 54 miles (87 km); Ironwood, Michigan)
• Duluth International Airport (about 92 miles (148 km); Duluth, Minnesota)
• Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport (KRHI) (about 119 miles (192 km); Rhinelander, Wisconsin)

Other public use airports near Ashland:

• John F. Kennedy Memorial Airport (KASX) (about 2 miles (3.2 km); Ashland, Wisconsin)
• Madeline Island Airport (about 17 miles (27 km); La Pointe, Wisconsin)
• Cable Union Airport (about 37 miles (60 km); Cable, Wisconsin)
• Park Falls Municipal Airport (KPKF) (about 58 miles (93 km); Park Falls, Wisconsin)

Public transit

Local transportation is provided by the non-profit Bay Area Rural Transit (BART) system, which has bus stops throughout the community. Headquartered in Ashland's Industrial Park, BART also provides transportation to and from other communities in the Chequamegon Bay region, including Washburn, and Bayfield.

Intercity bus service to the city is provided by Indian Trails.^[43]

Northern Towns Transport is a regional car service and shuttle provider, connecting Ashland and the Chequamegon Bay area with downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota and Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport; as well as the Twin Ports of Superior, Wisconsin / Duluth, Minnesota and Duluth International Airport.

Parks

The Band Shell, located at Memorial Park, is a common summertime venue for outdoor music.

• Bayview Park, also known as Pamida Beach, contains a swimming beach, bathrooms, fishing pier, picnic area and playground. The 10-mile walking trail that loops Ashland connects to the park.^[45] Bayview Park is the only swim front in Ashland that provides lifeguards in the summer.
• Beaser Park
• Kreher Park, also known as Sunset Park, contains 33 RV campsites on lake Superior. The park has a swimming beach, playground, showers, dumping station, and firewood. The park connect to the Ashland Waterfront trail.^[45]
• Maslowski Beach features a shallow, sandy swimming beach, playground, pavilion, bathrooms, changing rooms, pay phone and artesian well. There is also access to Ashland's Lake Front Trail along Chequamegon Bay.^[45]
• Memorial Park contains a band shell.^[45]
• Menard Park^[45]
• Prentice Park is the largest of Ashland's 12 parks, at approximately 100 acres. It is a natural habitat for migrating birds, a nesting ground for mute swans, with hiking trails, artesian wells, a picnic area, a children's playground, and tent camping. Prentice park at one point had a deer herd that was domesticated.^[45]

Hiking and biking trails

The Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center is located west of Ashland, along US 2. It houses a geographic and natural history museum, as well as a bookstore and archive office of the Wisconsin Historical Society.

• Tri-County Corridor
• Lakefront Trail, along Lake Superior
• A recreational trail loops around the entire city.
• North Country Trail

Boating

• Ashland Marina, located behind the Hotel Chequamegon

Camping

• RV camping is available at Prentice park, and Kreher Park.^[45]
• Tent camping is available at Prentice Park.^[45]

Local attractions

The Soo Line Depot

• Ashland Historical Museum
• Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center – a regional information center with natural history exhibits. A branch office of the Wisconsin Historical Society is located upstairs.
• The Chequamegon Theatre Association is located in the historic Rhinehart Theatre.
• Ashland Chequamegon Bay Golf Course

Events

• Bay Days is Ashland's annual community festival, held in the middle of July. In addition to street vendors and live outdoor music, it includes a "Strongest Man in the Bay Contest" and a Sprint Triathlon.
• The Book Across the Bay ski race is held every year in February. The course for the race crosses the frozen Chequamegon Bay of Lake Superior, starting in Ashland, and ending in Washburn.
• The WhistleStop Marathon and half-marathon is held every fall, and draws athletes from surrounding regions. The before-race events include a pasta feed, and live music that night.
• Live chamber music concerts performed by the Ashland Chamber Music Society
• The annual Red Clay Classics car race held at ABC Raceway
• The Ashland Area Farmer's Market is held weekly in the summer on Saturday mornings.
• Holiday parades include a Fourth of July parade, a Christmas parade, and a Homecoming parade.
• The Ashland County Fair is usually held in September at the fairgrounds in Marengo.
• The Chequamegon Bay Bird & Nature Festival is held in May.
• The Superior Vistas Bike Tour is held in June.
• Garland City Women's Expo is held in November.
• Chick-uamegon 5k & 10k run